Study of Ion Transport Properties in Nano-YSZ Dispersed Polymer Nanocomposite Films Using Conductivity Spectroscopy

Ion transport properties in a polymer nanocomposite (PNC) electrolyte based on PEO8LiClO4 dispersed with nano-crystalline of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has been analyzed using complex conductivity spectroscopy. The scaling of real and imaginary components of conductivity for the polymer salt complex shows deviation from master curve at temperatures below crystalline to amorphous phase transition (T-m similar to 70 degrees C). However in PNCs, a single master curve has been obtained for the whole range of temperature (30-120 degrees C) indicating a temperature independent ion transport mechanism irrespective of YSZ loading in PNCs. A perfect correlation has been observed for variation of dc conductivity, relaxation peak width (FWHM) and most probable relaxation time (tau(max)) with variation of filler concentration. A strong interaction of polymer matrix, mobile ions and nano-fillers may be the reason for wider distribution of relaxation time and improved dc conductivity on nano-filler dispersion.